Air-cushion for cars.



No. 758,604. PATENTED APR. 26, 1904.]

' M. DOWN-ER.

AIR CUSHION FOR CARS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 27, 1903. N0 MODEL. 2 SHBE' [SSHBET 1.

m: NORRIS PEYZRS co mom umo" wAsmn N0.-7 5a,eo4. PATENTED APR..26',"1904.

' M. DOWNER.

AIR CUSHION FOR CARS.

7 APPLICATION FILED JULY 27, 1903.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I I 102 )Vzinegfiefi. 2 CY/ 1131/ 1521/67Lf07". I I Murillo .Dowzzer.

Patented April 26, 1904:.

P TENT ()FFTCE.

. i MURILLO DOWNER, OF OHICl\AGO, ILLINOIS.

AIR-CUSHION FOR CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 758,604, dated April 26,- 1904.

Application filed July 27, 1903- Serial No. 16 7,061. (No model.)

Tofall whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, MURILLO DOWNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful In1, provement in Air-Cushions for Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in aircushions for cars and the like, and has for its object to provide certain new and useful improvements. panying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side view of a truckwith my improvement attached. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan of the truck. Fig. 4: is a vertical section through the central cylinder.

Like parts are indicated by the same letter in all the figures.

A A are the rails on which run the carwheels B B. The carwheels are suitably mounted in any desired manner in the ends of the truck. This truck may consist of the bars C C, arranged as indicated and provided with suitable parts to receive the ends of the caraxles D D. These bars C C are connected by a channel-bar C and vertical pieces G. Associated with the car-truck'is a truck-bolster consisting of the bars E E,which are secured together toward their outer ends by the plates E, on which are secured the plates F F and g which are provided each with a raised bearing-surface F. Secured on the channel-bar C are the upwardly-projecting hollow plunge'rs G and H. The pl ungers may be bolted in position by the bolts J, and they are provided above each with a disk J and a pack' ing-disk J. The plungers project, respectively, into the'cylinders G and H, and each cylinder is preferably packed about the plun- .ger by means of the packing-annulus H and the screw-piece H The plungers G and cylinders G are placed toward the outer ends of the bolster while the plunger -H and cylinder H are placed in the middle of the bolster.

K is the car-bolster, secured in any desired manner to the car K, and the cylinder 'H is It is illustrated in the accomrigidly secured to the middle of this bolster. Projecting from the cylinder H are the lugs L, through each of which passes the bolt L, which is secured to the channel-bar at L and provided with a head L to limit the upward motion of the cylinder H.

. M M are bearing-plates on the car-bolster or car, which rest upon the plates F F, so as to be supported thereby, but movable thereupon.

N is an air-supply pipe to supply air under pressure from anydesired source.

N is a pressure-regulating valve which permits the air to pass therethrough when the pressure is reduced on the delivery side. From N leads the pipe N to the cross N whence lead the three connections N, N, and N". Each leads to one of the cylinders. N and N are flexible portions which allow the truck to swing without interfering with these air connections, for the pipe N is rigid with the car,while the two outer cylinders are rigid with the truck.

O O are check-valves which permit the air to enter the cylinders, but prevent it from returning. 7

P P are blow-oif or safety valves, which serve to prevent too great a pressure in the cylinder. The blow-off valve connected with the cylinder H is associated with a controlling chain or link P, which is connected by a slot P and pin P and arm P with the cartruck, If the amount of air in the cylinder H increases so as to lift the car, the blow-oif valve P will be opened, so as to reduce the air when it is raised beyond the normalposition. This device is unnecessary with the outside cylinders G G, for they are associated with the truck-bolster, which is prevented from rising too far by the engagement of the ends of the bars E E with the under side of th upper bars G G. l

The use and operation of my invention are as follows: Assuming the parts to be associated as described, and it will be understood that certain elements and features for the purpose of clearness in the drawings have been omitted, though they are commonly incorporated in car trucks and devices, they will be in their normal position when they are as illustrated in the drawings. The car is therefore resting at all points on an air-cushion, because the sides of the car are supported upon the floating truck-bolster and the middle of the car is supported on the channel-bar of the truck; but in each case an air-cushion is interposed. The pressure of the air in these several cylinders is always the same, because of the action of the cheek-valves and the blowoff valves. If for any reason the car rises so as to reduce the pressure and bring in an eX- tra supply of air, the pressure of course will stand at the normal when the car sinks back into position, but the car will be somewhat elevated. This action is not objectionable within limits, but of course could not be carried too far. This action is checked either by the positive stop of the ends of the bars E on the truck-pieces C or by the device for operating the safety-valve or blow-off valve P on the middle cylinder. Either device can be used separately or they can be combined, as shown in the drawings. The truck is pivoted to the car so as to swing on this central cylinder, and thus the king-bolt or pivot-bolt is dispensed with and the cushion-cylinder employed in its place.

It is obvious that various changes could be made and parts omitted or varied without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I do not wish, therefore, to be limited to the particular forms, shapes, proportions, and arrangements shown. Moreover, the structure could be applied to other than such cars and trucks as are here illustrated.

I claim 4 1. In an air-cushion device for cars, the combination of a centrally-placed cylinder and plunger connecting the car and the truck and a floating bolster supporting the sides of the car.

2. In an air-cushion device for cars, the combination of a centrallyplaced cylinder and plunger connecting the car and the truck, with an air-supply device therefor and a floating bolster supporting the sides of the ear.

3. In an air-cushion device for cars, the combination of a centrally-placed cylinder and plunger connecting the car and the truck, with an air-supply device and an air-discharge device therefor and a floating bolster supporting the sides of the car.

4. In an air-cushion device for cars, the combination of a centrallyplaced cylinder and plunger connecting the car and the truck, with an air-supply device and an air-discharge device therefor, and means for preventing the excessive rise of the car and a floating bolster supporting the sides of the car.

5. In an air-cushion device for cars, the combination of a car and truck, with a cylinder on one and a plunger on the other coacting, and an air-cushion within the cylinder and a floating bolster between car and truck with supporting air-cushions.

6. In an air-cushion device for cars, the combination of a car and truck, with a cylinder on one and a plunger on the other coacting, an air-cushion within the cylinder, and means for preventing the car from abnormally rising and a floating bolster between car and truck with supporting air-cushions.

7. In an air-cushion device for cars, the combination of a car and truck, with a cylinder on one and a plunger on the other coacting, an air-cushion within the cylinder, and means for preventing an excess of air in the cylinder and a floating bolster between car and truck with supporting air-cushions.

8. In an air-cushion device for cars, the combination of a car and truck, with a cylinder on one and a plunger on the other coacting, an air-cushion within the cylinder, and a discharge-valve connected with the cylinder to discharge the air therefrom and a floating bol ster between car and truck with supporting air-cushions.

9. In an air-cushion device for cars, the combination of a car and truck, with a cylinder on one and a plunger on the other coacting, an air-cushion within the cylinder, a dischargevalve connected with the cylinder to discharge the air therefrom, and means for automatically opening said valve when the car has reached a predetermined elevation and a floating bolster between car and truck with supporting air-cushions.

10. In an air-cushion device for cars, the combination of a truck, with a floating bol ster, an air-cushion between the bolster and the truck, and a direct connection between the truck and the car intermediate between the ends of the bolster.

11. In an air-cushion device for cars, the combination of a truck, with a floating bol ster, an air-cushion between the bolster and the truck, and an air-cushioned direct connection between the truck and the car intermediate between the ends of the bolster.

12. In an air-cushion device for cars, the combination of a truck, with a floating bolster, an air-cushion between the two, and bearings for the car toward the ends of the bolster.

13. In an air-cushion device for cars, the combination of a truck, with a floating bolster, an air-cushion between the two, bearings for the car toward the ends of the bolster, and a central connection between the car and the truck.

14. In an air-cushion device for cars, the combination of a truck, with a floating bolster, an air-cushion between the two, bearings central pivotal connection between the car and for the car toward the ends of the bolster, and the truck, and an air-cushion associated with T O a central pivotal connection between the car such connection.

and the truck.

15. In an air-cushion device for cars, the MURILLO DOWNER' combination of a truck, with a floating bol- Witnesses: ster, an air-cushion between the two, bearings HOMER L. KRAFT, for the car toward the ends of the bolster, a EDWARD T. WRAY. 

